Piper has enhanced its consumer offering with the appointments of Saskia Roberts and Flora McAlpine.
Saskia Roberts has spent nearly 20 years working for customer and retail consultancies on strategy, customer proposition, marketing and brand experience. She most recently led customer communication channels at O&CC Ltd (owner of high-street brands Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need) and has previously worked on customer strategies for companies such as SABMiller, Heal’s and Argos.
Saskia joins Piper as Associate Partner and will focus on customer insight and brand strategies across Piper’s existing portfolio, as well as leading the commercial due diligence process for deals.
Flora McAlpine has seven years’ experience in the consumer sector investing in early stage consumer brands and providing buy and sell-side commercial due diligence services on mid-market transactions. She comes from strategy consultancy Parthenon-EY where she advised on the acquisition of companies such as Riviera Travel and 3V Natural Foods Group. She previously worked as an analyst at Oakley Capital focusing on investments in early stage UK retail and leisure brands.
Flora joins as Investment Executive where she will support the deal team on origination, evaluation and execution of new investments in the consumer branded space.
The appointments follow a busy month for Piper, in which it exited its investment in Orlebar Brown, the luxury swim and resort wear brand, to Chanel and led a £15m investment into online flower gifting brand Bloom & Wild.